WWI Spy Mata Hari was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was accused of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was convicted of espionage and executed by firing squad in France in 1917. Her real name was Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, and she was born in the Netherlands in 1876. She gained notoriety for her exotic dancing and became known as Mata Hari, which means 'eye of the day' in Malay.